A common manner of disposal of such substances as those generally referred to hereinbefore, is to put them in metal drums, along with a solidifying agent such as cement and, after curing of the whole, transporting them in metal, rectangular containers, to the storage site and burying everything in a specially prepared concrete container, which has already been prepared in the burying area.
The process is ongoing, and consequently space is at a premium. However, the drums presently used are cylindrical and when a number of them are arranged in side-by-side touching relationships, spaces are defined between them. This generates two problems. One is lost storage space in a given volume containing the drums. The other is a danger that in the event of long term corrosion of the containing structure, the substance (normally the ground) in which the whole is buried, might sink into those spaces, as well as into cavities which form as a result of the corrosion.
Both lost storage volume and the sinking ground can be alleviated by the use of square metal drums, rather than round ones. Such drums however, are more costly relative to the circular ones, which normally are reclaimed oil drums. Moreover, it is vital to product quality that thorough mixing of the by-product with the solidifying agent is achieved, but the said mixing is difficult to achieve in the corners of a square receptacle, by any process. Steps presently taken with round drums includes filling the spaces between them with grout before infilling the burial chamber properly. This is also a time consuming process, and consequently expensive.